Christie tells Trump how he should deal with the coronavirus crisis

WASHINGTON — Nobody in the administration asked him, but former Gov. Chris Christie gave advice to President Donald Trump on how to deal with the coronavirus across the country.

Christie offered his opinions in the Washington Post on Monday, saying he was sharing the lessons learned as governor during Hurricane Sandy. He said he was able to hold down the loss of life and rebuild the state by “setting the right tone before the hurricane hit.”

“The coronavirus is an even bigger and more deadly storm,” Christie wrote. “The steps we take — or fail to take — in the coming days will determine just how lethal the disease will be in terms of citizens’ lives and the health of our economy.”

“There are still too many Americans going out to restaurants, bars and other public areas as if this is business as usual,” he wrote. “It is not. Every public gathering adds to the risk, at least for the next month.

Christie’s successor as governor, Phil Murphy, and several other chief executives, already have taken many of those steps, but have acted on their own rather than follow a directive from the president.

While the U.S. House passed legislation early Saturday offering emergency aid to states and localities, Christie said that governors wanting the assistance first should be required to submit plans to convert facilities to temporary hospitals if all beds are full.

Christie also suggested that Trump give governors freedom to use their community development block grant funds to help local businesses and stave off closures. Trump, though, is trying to eliminate all funding for a program directed at helping states and urban areas with housing and economic development.

Trump was on a conference call with governors Monday., and the New York Times reported that he told them to try to get the needed equipment on their own.

“Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves,” Trump said, according to a recording obtained by the Times. “We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves. Point of sales, much better, much more direct if you can get it yourself.”

At a press conference later, he urged Americans to not gather in groups of more than 10 people for the next 15 days, avoid discretionary travel and to not eat or drink in bars or restaurants and use pickup, drive-through windows, or delivery instead.